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The Hamblen County Commission has approved the purchase agreement for the Oak Tree Plaza for the relocation of the health department and to approve its public comment guidelines.

Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittian presented the proposal to purchase to relocate the health department to the finance committee which was approved unanimously by the Finance Committee.

The purchase includes 27.3 acres.

The county would renovate 12,000 square ft. of the grocery space for the health department, and 9,000 square ft. would be renovated for office space and that would leave 15,000 square ft. of vacant space.

The county will also use the area behind the facility as an impound lot for sheriff’s office.

The county plans to pay for the property by using $1,137,500 from the sale of the current health department building, $687,500 from general funds reserves or split with the opioid settlement.

The commission also voted unanimously in favor of using Barber McMurry Architects to design the health department and office space which costs the $448,454.

The commission also voted on two budget amendments to finalize the purchase of Oak Tree Plaza.

The first, Fund 128 Drug Use Abatement Fund, will cover half of the balance outside of the sale of the current health department building which totals $343,700.50.

“It comes out of fund balance from Fund 128 and budgeted in 128 as an expense,” Brittain said.

The second, Fund 101 General Fund, for $1,486,250 for the purchase of the building and comes from unassigned fund balance.

“One million, one hundred and thirty-seven thousand, five hundred of that will be replaced with the sale of the current facility to 911 emergency services,” Brittain said. “And $343,700.50 comes from fund balance.”

Brittain explained the two budget amendments further, clarifying the process.

“The second half of the budget amendment appropriates $343,700.50 for the purchase of the building and that money comes from a transfer in from Fund 128,” Brittain said. “So the first budget amendment appropriates the money in Fund 128 the Drug Use Abatement Fund and the second moves the money from Fund 128 to Fund 101 for the purchase of the building.”

The commission also voted to approve of the change order 10 costing $130,000 for the justice center project.

Within the change order included a wall that was added that goes below slab to help with earth retaining, to fix skipped micro piles, and to fire rated walls.

The commission voted in favor of giving funds from the Endo Pharmaceutical Opioid Settlement to the Third Judicial Recovery Support Services to purchase a transitional housing facility.

The commission previously voted to set aside the funds for the facility in September, but would only give the funds once the organization found a potential facility.

The organization found two potential facilities on High Street that they believe would best fit the needs of the program.

As the commission began to vote on the Public Comment Guidelines two amendments were added.

Commissioner Mike Richardson proposed that the Committee Meetings and Legislative Hearings be added to the title of the guidelines. Commissioner Tim Horner proposed that the statement “For security reasons no one may enter the well unless invited by the Chairman,” with Chairman Thomas Doty adding “15 minutes before and after” to the amendment. Both amendments were approved.

Commissioner Edna Green voted to table the vote for the public guidelines until the March meeting to gain clarification for the term “Placards” which would be banned from meetings.

Commissioner Stan Harville seconded the motion and urged commissioners to get the guidelines right.

“I think from a couple thing asked tonight, we need to make sure we have this right.” Harville said. “If someone is holding a placard and holding up signs during the meeting then that is disruptive, but let’s get it right.”

However, Commissioner Bobby Haun urged the commission to vote on the guidelines immediately to help the structure of the meetings.

“I think that we are overplaying this entire thing and blowing it out of proportion. I think people know exactly what we are talking about when we discuss placards. It’s time to put this to rest, we need to vote this motion and vote it tonight,” Haun said.

Commissioner Peggy Howell said that there is no need to have a vocabulary war, and that the use of placards or signs should not be in commission meetings.

“If you want to put signs in your yards or on your cars that’s fine, but we’re asking for it not to be in here,” Howell said.

The motion to table the public guidelines failed and the commission voted 11-2 to approve the public guidelines.

The commission also voted to allow 3 minutes of speaking time for each speaker with a total of 15 minutes total public speaking time per committee for its committee meetings.

While at commission meetings, the commission voted to change the public speaking time limit to 30 minutes total of speaking time for non-agenda items and 30 minutes for agenda items.

Chairman Chris Cutshaw reminded the commission that it holds the power to lengthen that time based on a majority vote.

Anyone wishing to speak before the commission can now either sign in, providing their name and address to prove they are county citizens, or provide their name and address as they approach the podium.

The public comment guidelines will go into effect at the next committee meeting on March 13.